sim·ple
adjective
1. not complicated: a simple design.
pleas·ure
noun
1. the state or feeling of being pleased.
2. enjoyment or satisfaction derived from what is to one's liking; gratification; delight.
These are my favorite words “Simple Pleasure“. A Simple Pleasure is just that – a time, a thing, a moment, a person, that appears in your day in which gives you a simple feeling of enjoyment, satisfaction, delight that is priceless beyond measure.
Our lifestyle, our location, my family and all our blessings are my Simple Pleasures daily. The added heart-shaped rock found on my walk, a dragonfly landing on the tip of my finger, an elk not 30 yards away starring me down, a cozy winter's night with lanterns lite and something yummy in the oven creating an aroma through the house that makes you float out your chair to follow the scent, these are added bonuses to my already over the top day.
The part of a Simple Pleasure that makes it so special is that you took the time to stop and notice it. Taking time to notice your surroundings is something that some people need to learn how to do. These hustle, bustle, gotta have, gotta go lives that everyone has created for themselves is the culprit. It has deprived most people of the finer things in life.
We have not had a TV in our home for over 8 years. It is not missed. The content of today's TV is not what it used to be and when you live in a place like we do there are so many more rewarding things you could be doing rather than being glued to a box.
I encourage you to take a night and turn the TV off. Play games with each other, read a book, draw a picture, learn to do something new, make a new recipe, go for a walk, write a poem, weave a basket, learn to knit, talk of times past, share stories of your day, build a fire and sit around it enjoying each others company…..
If you have young children, enjoy them now because they grow so fast. Children are sponges willing and wanting to learn. Spend time with them doing quality things. Enrich their minds, teach them skills of yesterday that they can use tomorrow.
You don't have to live way out in the wilderness to do family things and you don't need to live way out in the wilderness to have a homesteading mentality. No matter where you are, all you have to do is embrace what is around you, learn new skills and remove yourself from the gotta have, gotta go mentality and hunker into your home or your apartment and learn to enjoy what you have around you.
We hustle and we bustle out here too, but in a very different way. It is not uncommon for us to NOT leave our home for a week, maybe two. Our hustle, bustle is learning new skills, feeding our animals, completing our projects, working & schooling from home, making everything we need right here. We are tired too and there are times we don't have extra time to relax, but our days are spent together working and working hard. We are grateful that we are able to do this and our lives are more rewarding for it.
So take some time to notice what is around you, SLOW DOWN and take it in… Find a Simple Pleasure right in front of you.
Here are some added tips on how to simplify your life:
- Get rid of clutter – if you haven't used if for over three years and you know you will never use it again. Give it a way or throw it away.
- Take time for your husband and children. Spend time with them. Quality time – no smartphones, computers, games or tv.
- Choose a game night at home with a simple meal instead of running to the movies and out to eat.
- Dinner together as often as you can. And everyone pitch in to help cleanup. Mom needs some time to enjoy life too!
- Divide up the household chores as a family and everyone dive in. The more hands on deck the quicker the deck will get cleaned and more time to do other things together.
- Grocery shop less….. I grocery shop once every two to three months (this could be a little tough for some because I also make EVERYTHING from scratch). I am not a shopper by any means so I stock up on the healthy things we need and eliminate that need to gotta go, gotta go because I wanna stay….
- Pick a day a week that you run errands instead of spontaneously running errands when the mood hits you. You will save gas, time and money.
- Just because you have money in your pocket doesn't mean you need to spend it. Try to train your brain that if you don't need it, don't buy it.
These are just a few things that quickly came to mind… I would love to hear your thoughts on this post…. Feel free to drop us a line, share how you live simpler, ask any questions that come to mind….
Until next post, take care and God bless! <3
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Such a great article! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Simple Pleasures…I agree completely. I have really enjoyed what I have read so far on your website and look forward to much more. I am, however having trouble signing in with Facebook from here. Discus keeps wanting me to use it and I would prefer Facebook. I’ll try again.